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If yogi look at a satellite view of a parking lot in Germany, you will not see any of those spots that are so conspicuous on a similar view of a US parking lot. Germany and other European countries have been very aggressive, for decades, about oil leaks, and a car is simply not allowed on the road if it leaks any detectable amount of oil.
1. Oil stains eat out asphalt, soak into concrete and eat out tires rubber.
2. Period between late 80s and late 90s to early 2000s was golden car quality period. That's why you recall seeing decline in oil stains.
3. As anecdote. Buddy had 1981 Olds. Forgot what it was. Large car. You had to literally drive with gas station pulled behind. We once found that there was no oil on dipstick and no coolant in radiator yet, she won't overheat, turn key and go.
Car like this surely won't produce any stains.
The average age of all the cars on the road is now at 11 years old. Oldest average it's been ever. That means that there are a LOT of old cars on the road that are probably not perfectly maintained in like new condition. So yeah, you're going to see leaks and drips out on the roadways.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ukrkoz
1. Oil stains eat out asphalt, soak into concrete and eat out tires rubber.
2. Period between late 80s and late 90s to early 2000s was golden car quality period. That's why you recall seeing decline in oil stains.
3. As anecdote. Buddy had 1981 Olds. Forgot what it was. Large car. You had to literally drive with gas station pulled behind. We once found that there was no oil on dipstick and no coolant in radiator yet, she won't overheat, turn key and go.
Car like this surely won't produce any stains.
Interesting it appears cars built around 2000-2005 seem to last the longest, particularly the ones made in Japan. As they were built when advancement reached highest but before car and car part manufacturing were widely outsourced. Also cars those years were built before manufactures literally turned family vehicles into smart phones/tablets on wheels. We all know what its like when stuck with a aging electronic device or smart phones and cars now have this controlling many major components in addition to having a ever so complicated infotainment system which some can be prone to freezing up. These days I know people who owned Ford Focus and Mini built in 2010s who had issues with their computers controlling critical components such as transmissions or engine fail right after their warranty ran out. Very expensive repair. Sometimes as much as 30% of the car's value.
The 2000s seems to be the years with the least amount of oil on the ground. Many clunkers on the road during the 1980s-1990s appeared to almost have disappeared from the road by the mid 2000s. At least where I lived. I bet the robust economy of the 1990s and in the mid 2000s resulted in many clunkers being replaced by the mid 2000s.
Interesting I had a 2001 Toyota Rav 4(Fully made and assembled in Japan) for its 15 years it never dripped any fluid on the ground not even right after oil changes. Though my other cars back in the 1990s always dripped oil for one to two days after an oil change. And it eventually the oil leaks of those cars became chronic even without an oil change.
Though one way to get rid of post oil change oil leaks is to go to a self car wash place and hose down the oil pan. Those places have filtered drains. You would be doing a great favor for the environment and avoid causing an eyesore that also nave potential to cause crashes or road damage.
I am guess those low quality made in China oil caps are probably the culprit for increased oil leaks these days.
Last edited by citizensadvocate; 02-12-2018 at 05:44 PM..
If yogi look at a satellite view of a parking lot in Germany, you will not see any of those spots that are so conspicuous on a similar view of a US parking lot. Germany and other European countries have been very aggressive, for decades, about oil leaks, and a car is simply not allowed on the road if it leaks any detectable amount of oil.
I don't think this is "observable." If you do not have a study backing you up, I think this is wild speculation.
It could be as simple as "roads are not replaced or resurfaced as often now" therefore there is more buildup to observe. Is this true? I don't know, but as I said, this is just not something I think you can get a simple answer to.
Most oil drips come from two locations. The valve cover gasket [the lower corner] and the oil pan gasket. Over time, they become crushed. Tightening the bolts usually stop the drip.
Most oil drips come from two locations. The valve cover gasket [the lower corner] and the oil pan gasket. Over time, they become crushed. Tightening the bolts usually stop the drip.
I guess it’s Low quality outsource Manufactured oil pans and gaskets to blame. Made in China or elsewhere. I was shocked when a relative’s one year new Mazda left an oil drop on the ground. About two weeks after an oil change. I would be surprised that any residue oil on the pan it didn’t drip down until two weeks after the oil change. Mazda is almong the last Japanese brands to have all its cars final assembly in Japan. Though it’s inevitable that parts especially things like oil caps may still be made in other places to cut costs.
I was very surprised as on the flip side the 2001 Toyota RAV4 for its fifteen years I talked about never ever dripped even one drop of oil or fluid down since bought back in 2001 not even following oil changes.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MDrenter223
Cash for clunkers tookall the beaters off the roads, so the average age of cars dipped for a bit, and now that number is back up?
My best guess at least.
Actually many older beaters were already off the roads before cash for clunkers in 2009. That’s actually when car sales slowed greatly due to the economic crash. Though also because many people already replaced their cars in the early to mid 2000s. The crash further dampened buying extra cars in a family.
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